Virtual Knowledge Exchange - Communicating Geospatial Information to Policy Makers

1. Late 80s/early 90s
Degree in commerce with Information Systems
Postgrad in European marketing (joint French)
Mid 90s/early 2000s
Offshore marine survey services: Fugro (services/QA)
Global digital mapping company: Here (wireless/Internet)
Spatial databases: 1Spatial (MBO/Director)
Late 2000s
Exec Director OGC (open standards)
MD Ordnance Survey International (APPG smart cities)
Fellow RICS and Fellow RGS
2015 onwards
Visiting Professor, University of Strathclyde (Future cities)
SASNet Fellow, University of Glasgow (Urban big data)
Visiting Lecturer, University of Geneva (Sustainability)
Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Secretariat
Sustainable Finance, University of Cambridge
Steven Ramage
30 years in 30 seconds

2. Informed
Policy and
Decision
Making Steven Ramage
M
A
R
C
H
2
0
2
1

3. q Know, understand and connect
q Purpose, action and outcomes
q Results, impact and value
q Message, means and channels
q Follow up, review and revision
ABC Audience
Before Content

4. q Who are policy makers?
q What do they do?
q What are their challenges?
q How can you help them?
q Are you connected to them?
Know understand
& connect

5. Know understand
& connect

6. • German Federal Minister of Agriculture is
funding food security for 3 years via GEOGLAM.
• GEOGLAM is “a high-tech tool that is fit for the
future and brings us one step closer to
achieving the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals [SDGs].” Minister Klöckner
• Technical Guidance for National Adaptation
Plans (NAPs): EO-based agriculture
monitoring for adaptation, proactive response
and enhanced climate resilience.
Know understand
& connect

7. Purpose,
actions and
outcomes
3
What are the
desired outcomes?
4
What do you want
to achieve?
2
What actions are
expected?
1
What is the
purpose?

8. Results,
impacts and
values
Result Impact Value

9. Result
The World Bank Disaster Risk
Financing Program supported
300,000+ people to relocate in
the Karamoja region of Uganda
thanks to GEOGLAM (GEO’s
global agricultural monitoring).
Impact
Food security challenges,
including the availability of
food, related jobs and general
welfare issues addressed due to
GEOGLAM early warning.
Value
Government of Uganda
realized a saving of US $2.6 M in
a single financial year, also
tackled social challenges ahead
of time. Money and livelihoods.
Results,
impacts and
values

10. Earth observations are data and
information collected about our
planet, whether relating to the
atmosphere, oceans or land.
This includes satellite imagery,
space-based or remotely-sensed
data, as well as ground-based or
in situ data, i.e. sensors in, on or
around the Earth.
Earth Observations

11. Arctic sea
ice decline
Assessing climate change
impact
September 1984 - September 2016
Source:
NASA Images of Change

12. Assessing climate change impact
September 1984 -
September 2016
Urban
expansion
in India
Tracking population growth
March 1991 - March 2016
Source:
NASA Images of Change

13. Assessing climate change impact
September 1984 -
September 2016
Lake
drought in
Bolivia
Drought and water
resources management
April 2013 - January 2016
Source:
NASA Images of Change

14. Follow up,
review and
revise
3
What was the
feedback?
4
Revise the message
2
Did it meet the
objectives?
1
How was the message
received?

15. Message, means
and channels
#FacesOfGEO
Campaign

16. SIDE EVENT UN REPORT CAMPAIGN
Follow up,
review and
revise

17. The 4 Cs
C OMMUNIC AT I ONS
Outreach, awareness
raising and
engagement.
C O L L ABO RAT I O N
Community, human
interoperability and
regions.
C O MMERC I AL
Private sector
engagement,
platforms and value.
C APAC I T Y
Translate science
and technology
for policy,
decisions and
action, co-design
and co-production of
knowledge.

18. Open data
for the
benefit of
humankind
@steven_ramage
sramage@geosec.org